<p>Just wondering how a liberal student from the West Coast would fit in at the school and in the area.</p>
<p>From what I heard, UNC is a liberal bastion in a sea of conservatism. I’d say you would fit in well.</p>
<p>It really depends on your friends. It is in the Bible Belt, so there will be more conservative kids than there are at the average “public ivy” institution, but I feel that the general leaning is toward the left.</p>
<p>North Carolina as a whole votes around 50.5% Republican, and in certain wealthier areas you’ll get a lot of Republicans (the Wakefield area, for example), but Chapel Hill votes upwards of 75% Democratic, Durham 75%-80%, and Cary around 60ish%. Anywhere in the Triangle is pretty Liberal.</p>
<p>The triangle is very liberal. You’ll find friends easily. It’s a big school.</p>
<p>There have been a lot of northerners moving to NC. That’s what turned it into a swing state instead of solid Republican. You know what they say Cary stands for - Containment Area for Relocated Yankees. ;)</p>
<p>UNC is very liberal. Conservatives here find the professors obnoxious sometimes too.</p>
<p>Very liberal. As previously stated, there is a huge northeastern transplanted population in NC. Many 1st generation North Carolina resident go to school here.</p>
<p>It wil not be problem. we moved to NC several years ago and were very concerned about “the bible belt”. In reality its not a problem at all. In fact all you meet are people from other places and even the so called bible belters are very nice and liberal.
This is not a reason not to come…</p>
<p>I have had a similar experience as Thp2017. In my area, most of the people I meet seem to be from somewhere else. NC has seen a lot of population growth from people moving in from other states including CA.</p>
<p>Like everyone said, the whole Triangle area is very liberal- but as soon as you drive 10 minutes out in the country, it’s mostly republican (generalization). The area is definitely a bubble in the state for sure. You’ll have no problem! Actually a quick fact… For the infamous Amendment 1 about gay marriage about a year ago… it was the Triangle area along with a few other college towns that voted against it (in favor of gay marriage).</p>
<p>It’s a mistake to assume that the Triangle area (and other more urban areas of NC) are more liberal merely because of the influx of people from the North. Education is a much more important factor. There are more highly educated people in the urban areas, from NC as well as from other parts of the country, and those people tend to be less conservative. Chapel Hill was considered liberal 50 years ago, decades before so many people began moving here from other parts of the country in droves.</p>
<p>NC is definitely part of the Bible Belt. Church involvement and commitment are part of the rhythm of life here. However, Christians in NC are very diverse. I just checked a list of churches that openly affirm gay people and found 36 churches within an hour of my house (in a non-urban area). Those are only the listed ones; I know of at least four gay-friendly churches that are not on that list. Some of these are very prominent congregations with Southern born and raised ministers and congregation members. Even the most conservative churches with which I am familiar welcome racial diversity and include members who are interracial couples. They are not bastions of racism that some people from other parts of the country seem to think.</p>
<p>About Amendment 1: The younger generation is much more accepting of same-sex relationships than their parents are. This is true even in the most rural of NC counties. A few of the leaders of the pro-Amendment 1 group acknowledged that fact by saying that they expect the next generation to repeal the amendment.</p>
<p>I’m a native North Carolinian whose parents were proactive, among others, in helping our rural school through a very peaceful integration period and who grew up in a community where gay people were accepted (albeit then considered a bit eccentric and no one asked). It grates on my nerves when some imply that people from elsewhere bring “enlightenment” to us backward Southerners. We have, and have had in the past, plenty of progressive, enlightened people of our own!</p>
<p>SweetWB – If you come to NC, welcome! Like most people, you will find whatever (good or bad) you are looking for.</p>
<p>^^ Well said Marsian. Thank you.</p>
<p>UNC Chapel Hill is the most liberal university in NC and is located in one of the most liberal parts of North Carolina. Politically, it is conservatives that would most struggle to fit in at UNC. If you’re left-leaning, you’re probably going to be in good company at this school.</p>
<p>You are correct, Marsian. For the Bible Belt, it has typically been North Carolina and Virginia that have strayed away from the more traditional values. North Carolina has always been a beacon for higher education and politically has almost always been a swing state. The process has been augmented by NC being a great place for young families to settle down.</p>
<p>The belief on this thread seems to be conservative = intolerance. I will acknowledge political reasons for this belief (that we are not allowed to talk about on CC), but we shouldn’t paint every person who considers themselves a conservative with the same brush. I live in a “red” NC town. My beliefs are left of center, yet many of my friends here are right of center, and we all get along fine.</p>
<p>My son at UNC lives in an apartment with three other young men. During the last election 2 of them voted blue and 2 voted red. They are all good friends and they all love UNC. It’s okay that they are not all exactly the same.</p>
<p>I think you will enjoy UNC, SweetWB. The student body is intelligent, enthusiastic, tolerant, and full of school spirit. You will find UNC to be a welcoming place.</p>
<p>Nobody implied such a thing.</p>
<p>Perhaps I didn’t use the best wording when writing my post. I was thinking about some of my friends, many of them UNC graduates, who would feel offended that someone might not want to get to know them just because they are “conservative”. I agree that UNC leans liberal, but there are many kids there who have conservative beliefs. That doesn’t have to be a negative thing. It is possible for a liberal kid and a conservative kid to be friends. I guess I’m still recovering from all the negativity of the past election season and feeling overly sensitive. I hate the divide in this country and wanted liberal students from other parts of the country to know that being conservative covers a lot of territory, not just the far right.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone for all your feedback. Actually, many of the members of my family are conservative, and some are liberal. Although our beliefs are quite different, we have a lot of interesting conversations and we all get along great. </p>
<p>After reading some of your replies I do wonder how a non-religious person would fit in in the South. Although not religious, I am very open and interested in learning about other religions. </p>
<p>I have never been to Chapel Hill, but I have visited the South a few times and have found the people to be unusually warm and welcoming, so I’m pretty excited about the opportunity to study at UNC.</p>
<p>SweetWB - Being religious or not being religious at UNC is a non-issue. There are plenty of both and you can be either.</p>